Being bored at work doesn't automatically mean you hate your job.

Sometimes work is just boring.

There are repetitive tasks you have to get through. There are slow afternoons. There are projects that aren't particularly interesting but still need to get done. I think that's going to happen in basically every job at some point.

But there's a difference between being bored for an afternoon and sitting at your desk every day wondering what the hell you're supposed to be doing.

I came across a piece of career advice online that said, "Get comfortable being bored."

I agree with that to a point.

There are moments when you probably do need to get comfortable being bored. But I don't think boredom at work is something you should always ignore or accept. Sometimes it's actually telling you something.

The way I see it, boredom at work usually falls into one of three buckets: you're doing a boring task that simply needs to get done, you don't have enough to do, or you've been bored for so long that you might have outgrown your job.

Figuring out which one you're dealing with is probably the most important part.

Sometimes Work Is Just Boring

Let's start with the least dramatic possibility.

You have something boring to do.

That's it.

Every job has parts that aren't going to be particularly exciting. You might have to enter data, update a spreadsheet, sit through a long meeting, organize files, put together a report, or do the same task you've already done 50 times.

That doesn't necessarily mean anything is wrong.

“There will be something that you have to do, and it just sucks and it's boring and it's blah.”

Sometimes you have to put your head down and finish it.

I don't think we should expect every hour of our jobs to be exciting, meaningful, challenging, and fulfilling. That's probably an unrealistic expectation of work.

The important thing is whether boredom is an occasional part of your job or whether it has become the defining feature of it.

If You Have Nothing to Do, Ask for More

The second kind of boredom is different.

You've finished your work.

You look at your computer.

You have nothing else to do.

This is where I think boredom can actually become an opportunity, especially if you're early in your career.

Instead of sitting there pretending to work for the next three hours, ask somebody if you can help.

It can literally be:

"Hey, I finished what I was working on. Is there anything I can help you with?"

Or:

"Is there anything I can take off your plate?"

I think this is one of the simplest things you can do to make yourself more valuable at work.

“Bosses, managers fucking love that shit.”

You're showing that you're paying attention to what the team needs instead of only completing the exact tasks you've been assigned.

It also gives you opportunities to work on things you otherwise might never touch.

Maybe you help your manager with a project and learn something new. Maybe another team needs help and you get exposure to an entirely different part of the company. Maybe you discover something you're actually really good at.

If you're trying to figure out How Do You Stand Out At Work, being the person who's willing to help when there's something that needs to get done is a pretty good place to start.

Look for Something You Can Learn

You don't always need to wait for someone to hand you more work either.

If things are slow, look around.

Is there something you don't understand about the company?

Is there another team you're interested in?

Is there a skill that would make you better at your job?

Is there a meeting you could sit in on?

Is there a process you could learn?

Especially when you're early in your career, your job isn't only about completing whatever appears on your to-do list. You're also building skills and figuring out what you're good at.

The Harvard Business Review has written about the importance of learning at work and making development part of your normal routine instead of waiting for formal training opportunities.

A slow period can give you some room to do that.

And if you're not completely sure what direction you want your career to go in, trying different things can be one of the best ways to figure it out.

Make Yourself Useful

I think there's a difference between asking for random busywork and finding ways to actually help.

You don't necessarily need to walk up to your boss every 20 minutes asking, "What can I do now?"

Look for problems.

Maybe there's something your team constantly complains about.

Maybe there's a document nobody has updated.

Maybe there's a process that makes absolutely no sense.

Maybe there's information scattered across five different places that could be organized.

Maybe somebody on your team is completely overwhelmed.

See if there's something you can improve.

That doesn't mean overstepping and completely changing the way your company operates without asking anybody. But taking some initiative can make boredom productive.

It's also part of the bigger question behind How Do You Build Relationships at a New Job?. Helping people is a pretty straightforward way to become somebody your coworkers trust and want to work with.

Keep Track of What You're Doing

If you start taking on additional work, keep track of it.

This is something I think everybody should do regardless of whether they're bored.

At the end of every week, write down what you worked on and what you accomplished.

It can be an email to yourself. It can be a note. It can be a document you continuously update.

Just have it somewhere.

That way, when your manager asks what you've been working on, you know.

When it's time for a performance review, you know.

When you eventually update your resume, you know.

And when you're trying to figure out what you actually like doing, you have a record of the things you've spent your time on.

The Harvard Business Review recommends keeping track of accomplishments throughout the year when preparing to evaluate your own performance. Waiting until review time to remember everything you've accomplished makes that significantly harder.

If boredom pushes you to take on more responsibility, make sure you remember what you actually did with it.

Don't Confuse an Easy Week With an Easy Job

I also wouldn't panic because you had one slow week.

Work ebbs and flows.

There might be a month when you feel completely overwhelmed and another when you're wondering why you even came into the office.

That's normal.

Before deciding your job has become too easy or that you've outgrown it, give yourself enough time to see whether you're experiencing a temporary slowdown or an actual pattern.

A slow Friday afternoon isn't a career crisis.

Being bored every day for six months might be worth paying attention to.

Pay Attention to Long-Term Boredom

This is the third bucket, and I think it's the one people sometimes ignore for too long.

You've asked for more work.

You've taken on additional projects.

You've tried to learn.

You've looked for ways to make the job more interesting.

And you're still bored.

Not for a day.

Not for a week.

For a long time.

That's when I think boredom can become information.

“I've done everything I can do here. I've learned everything I can learn here. Maybe it's time to try something else.”

You might have outgrown the role.

Maybe the job was challenging when you started and now you can do it in your sleep. Maybe there isn't another level for you at the company. Maybe you've learned everything the position can realistically teach you.

That doesn't mean you need to walk into your boss's office tomorrow and quit.

It might mean you should start thinking about what's next.

Ask Yourself What You're Actually Bored With

Before deciding you need a new job, get more specific.

Are you bored with your responsibilities?

The company?

The industry?

Your team?

The pace?

The lack of responsibility?

The fact that you aren't learning anything?

Those lead to completely different next steps.

Maybe you don't need to leave your company. You need a promotion.

Maybe you need to move to another team.

Maybe you need a role where you're given more responsibility.

Or maybe you genuinely want to do something completely different.

This is why I think boredom can actually be useful. It forces you to ask what you want more of.

If you're starting to ask those bigger questions, How To Figure Out What You Want to Do With Your Life gets into the larger process of figuring out what direction you actually want to move toward.

Start Preparing Before You Need to Leave

If you realize your boredom isn't going away, don't wait until you absolutely hate your job to start figuring out your next move.

Update your resume.

Look at job descriptions.

See what positions interest you.

Talk to people who do things you might want to do.

Figure out which skills you already have and which ones you still need.

You don't have to immediately know exactly what your next job should be. You can start by paying attention to what sounds more interesting than what you're doing now.

You also don't have to tell everybody at work that you're considering leaving.

You can quietly start exploring.

Then, if the right opportunity comes along, you're prepared instead of desperately applying to anything because you've reached the point where you can't stand another day at your current job.

Don't Feel Guilty for Wanting More

I think there's sometimes guilt around admitting you're bored with a perfectly "good" job.

Maybe it pays well.

Maybe your coworkers are nice.

Maybe your parents think it's great.

Maybe there isn't anything obviously wrong with it.

You're just bored.

That can still matter.

You don't need to manufacture some massive problem with your job to justify wanting something different.

At the same time, I wouldn't make a huge career decision based exclusively on the idea that another job is going to entertain you every second of the day.

No job will.

The question is whether you're still learning, contributing, improving, and getting enough out of the job to make the boring parts worth it.

And Here's The Thing

I don't think "get comfortable being bored" is bad career advice.

I just think it's incomplete.

Sometimes you're bored because you have a boring task to finish.

Finish it.

Sometimes you're bored because you don't have enough to do.

Ask how you can help. Take something on. Learn something new.

And sometimes you're bored because you've been doing the same thing for so long that there really isn't anything left for you there.

Maybe that's your sign to start looking.

“Determine which one of those buckets it falls into.”

That's what I would do.

Don't treat every boring afternoon like proof that you need to quit your job.

But don't spend years ignoring the feeling either.

Figure out why you're bored.

Then do something with the answer.

Frequently Asked Questions

What should you do when you're bored at work?

First figure out why you're bored. Finish necessary boring tasks, ask for additional responsibility if you don't have enough work, or consider whether you've outgrown your role if the boredom has become constant.

Is it normal to be bored at work?

Yes. Almost every job has boring tasks and slow periods. Occasional boredom doesn't necessarily mean there's anything wrong with your job.

Should you ask your boss for more work if you're bored?

If you've completed your responsibilities and genuinely have nothing to do, asking your manager how you can help can be a good way to take initiative and learn something new.

Does being bored at work mean you should quit?

Not necessarily. But if you've been consistently bored for a long time, aren't learning anything new, and have already tried taking on more responsibility, it may be worth exploring other opportunities.

How do you know if you've outgrown your job?

You may have outgrown your job if your work no longer challenges you, you've stopped learning, you've taken on everything available to you, and you don't see a realistic path toward new responsibilities or growth.